Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay is scheduled to travel to the United Kingdom on September 10 to attract industrial investments to the state, according to ANI and Deccan Chronicle. This will be his first foreign trip after assuming office as Chief Minister. He is expected to remain in the UK until September 16 for a series of investor meetings.
The outreach comes amid intense competition between Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh to secure major industrial and capital investments in the southern region. According to government sources cited by both outlets, the state is also engaging other global manufacturing hubs during the same period. A state delegation led by Minister Keerthana will travel to Taiwan on September 4 to participate in the Semicon conference.
The Chief Minister's UK visit takes place against the backdrop of the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA), formally designated as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which came into effect on 15 July 2026. The agreement is described as one of the largest trade agreements of modern times.
Total bilateral trade between the UK and India reached GBP 48 billion in 2025. Under the terms of the agreement, 99 per cent of Indian goods entering the UK market and 90 per cent of UK goods entering India will either enter duty free or face significantly reduced tariffs. The broad-based tariff reductions are slated to directly benefit core sectors across both nations, including automotive, manufacturing, consumer goods, creative industries, and medical technology.
Over the long term, the economic pact is projected to expand bilateral trade by GBP 25.5 billion annually, while adding GBP 5.1 billion to India's GDP and GBP 4.8 billion to the UK GDP each year, as reported by Deccan Chronicle.
According to Deccan Chronicle, Vijay is expected to meet business leaders, pitch Tamil Nadu's investment potential across sectors, and oversee the signing of memoranda of understanding. The visit comes soon after the state government announced that it had secured investment commitments exceeding Rs 1 lakh crore within its first 100 days in office. These commitments include 97 MoUs worth Rs 67,452 crore signed at an investors' conclave in Chennai in August.
Industries Minister Keerthana is likely to visit Taiwan on September 4 to attend SEMICON Taiwan, as noted by Deccan Chronicle.